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The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) manifesto, published today (February 25), ahead of the Senedd elections on May 7, warns that while Wales has long taken a forward-thinking approach to community pharmacy, further investment is necessary to ensure the sector keeps pace with rising cost pressures and workload demands. 

The organisation explains that financial pressure had led to the closure of 4% of pharmacies in Wales during 2023/24 and urges all political parties to pledge their support for the community pharmacy sector in Wales by committing to further investment. 

The manifesto outlines some current challenges for pharmacy, including:

• Ever-increasing demand and failure of funding to keep pace
• Rising operational costs being absorbed by owners
• Failure of digital changes to meet the needs of pharmacy developments
• Fragmentation and limitation of outcome data.

Investment necessary

The manifesto says that with the right investment, community pharmacy can deliver even more care to citizens in Wales, easing pressures across the NHS. The CCA urges the next Government in Wales to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector by:

• Funding community pharmacy in line with demand and rising costs 
• Investing in the workforce 
• Accelerating digital transformation
• Ensuring performance data is shared with the sector
• Driving greater collaboration across the entire NHS.

CCA Chief Executive, Malcolm Harrison, said: “Pharmacies across Wales are stepping up and providing even more for patients. The potential of community pharmacy is huge, and if the next Welsh Government wants to harness this opportunity, protect patient access and free up NHS capacity, investment in the sector is non-negotiable.”